1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of electrical devices, and, more particular to electrical appliances and methods for their operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The operation of electrical appliances such as those used in cooking systems and for other types domestic and office frequently involve the use of capacitive or optically operating switching elements, which are preferably positioned under an operating area like a glass ceramic hob that is provided with an operating surface. These switching elements detect whether a finger of a user is or is not located on the operating surface. Sliding switches and similar switching elements typically can only be implemented with such operating elements by providing several such operating elements positioned successively with one another. This can impose a considerable space requirement and involve considerable costs.